Masterclasses: Inspiration from coffee experts

Closely associated with the Athens Coffee Festival, Masterclasses have once again become the focus of interest for professionals and coffee lovers.

Extremely interesting speeches, presentations and workshops starred for another year at the Athens Coffee Festival, as part of the Coffee Masterclasses.

On all three days of the festival, a complete series of seminars and discussion panels around coffee was held as part of the Coffee Masterclasses at the Amphitheater of the Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens, curated by Snack & Coffee magazine.

Hundreds of people attended the speeches of 24 experts of the Greek coffee industry or 18 hours of training and information. A number of topics were presented on the amphitheater stage, from technical issues on coffee making to business areas, along with trends, suggestions and concerns, with the audience actively participating by asking for clarifications and asking key questions in a very lively interaction with the speakers.

Specifically, on the first day of the festival, coffee professionals had the opportunity to listen to talks about coffee growing conditions and how they affect its quality, by George Makropoulos of Nestlé Professional and to learn about the need for proper maintenance of coffee processing machines by Giannis Papadopoulos (IP-CC Coffee Machines). Particularly important was the workshop “Technology ally of the barista” with Christos Klouvatos (Samba Coffee Roasters) and Spyros Alexopoulos (Nestlé Professional), where the important role of modern and technologically advanced equipment in the operation of a business was discussed, but also the coffee quality in the final cup. Visitors were given the opportunity to learn about tea trends by Alexandros Panagoulias of Eriza and the two-way relationship between culture and coffee research by Michalis Katsiavos of Samba Coffee Roasters.

Left: Yiannis Taloumis, Taf Coffee / Right: Panagiotis Nikas,  Barista Academy

Key topics in Coffee Masterclasses

As part of the Coffee Masterclasses, the program of the 2nd day included a rich theme for all those who wanted to be fully informed about the new data of the coffee industry domestically and globally. Specifically, the attendees had the opportunity to watch the speech of Giannis Taloumis from Taf Coffee regarding the development of hard & soft skills of baristas for the optimal operation of a coffee shop and to learn about the coffee of Indonesia and Panama. The next day for Greek coffee, the challenges and opportunities that emerge, were analyzed in detail by Panagiotis Haskos, Caffe ‘Luigi-Haskos Ltd – Manthos Archontakis, Archontakis B. SA, G. Dritsas, Dritsas Coffee and Lambros Argyridis, Laiko Manufacturing & Trading Ltd. The professional visitors then had the opportunity to be informed about the contribution of Coffee and brunch in sales by: Thanos Lousi, Bake Hellas ABEE – Panagiotis Bafis, Bafis & Partners Architects and George Delichristos, Underdog. Finally, they discover the right recipes for instant coffee by Panagiotis Nikas of Barista Academy and learned the tips for selling rare and expensive coffee varieties at retail by George Delichristos of Underdog.

Left: Christos Klouvatos, Samba Coffee Roasters – Spyros Alexopoulos, Nestlé Professional. Right: The Indonesian Ambassador with Christos Loukakis

The Coffee Masterclasses welcomed finally the visitors on the 3rd day. Entrepreneurs and executives of the Greek coffee industry and certified trainers and baristas gave answers to… hot questions about coffee. Specifically, Kostas Anagnostou of Caffe ’Luigi-Haskos Ltd analyzed in detail the role of ratio in the final cup. The last day of the speeches were about key issues of the industry, such as microroasting as a business activity that was discussed in detail by: Andrea Manzino, Roasters Kolektiva, George Makropoulos Nestlé Professional and Michalis Sotiriou, Distretto Coffee Roasters. Eco-friendly disposables were also brought to the fore by Maria Kyriakaki of Tessera Bio Products Intertan SA.

Also, the presentation of Christos Kavrakos (The Roosters) and the Ilianthos team entitled “Autism and employment without prejudices” stood out. With sincerity and sensitivity, the speakers analyzed the case study that is taking place at The Roosters in Peristeri, where two employees with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are employed. The audience embraced the speech by participating in the presentation and expressing interest in other relevant actions. Coffee Masterclasses closed the curtain with the speech of Nikos Trellopoulos of Wellness Stores about water quality and how it affects the taste of coffee.

Please note that entry to the Coffee Masterclasses was allowed only upon presentation of the Green Pass (vaccination or disease certificate).